Author
Topic: General Election 2005 (Read 21731 times)

pib

I have to say that I find this election the biggest yawn to date. The choice between the three parties is like voting for prongs on a rake. They are all the same. The only one I will be voting for myself is Happy Shappy and for one reason only. He happens to live in our area. Otherwise Im sorry to say wake me up when its all over.

Having just spent 6 days in Blighty I can only express my opinion that the whole election campaign has been fought in a way that everyone involved should be ashamed of.Absolutely none of them have expressed a desire to try to achieve a decent fair society for law abiding citizens.My vote, if I was in his area would be for the boss of Plaid Cymru ( spelling) who wishes to impeach B Liar for war crimes.It is a pity that the apathy is so bad that people will not at least vote for a minority party to express their disgust at the main three ring circus clowns.Our forefathers and mothers fought for democracyand the right to vote, why did they bother?regards,jet( bitch, moan)

Sadly, from your point of view Jet, there are only the 3 main parties standing in Welwyn Hatfield. I've checked back in the records and since Welwyn Hatfield was formed as a constituency, this appears to be the first time there are no fringe parties standing here at all.

I feel sorry for Grant, Hertfordshire is one of the past main Tory strongholds but even Tories feel disenfranchised and let down by their party and its leader who says much but offers no better a society than B Liar. Lets not forget that the Tory opposition fully supported military action in Iraq. Its no good blaming Blair for what happened ( and is happening) when they accepted the word of someone who has never delivered a manifesto promise.Strange how Blair was a Euro supporter right up until election time, what happened to the referendum, forgotten under the smokescreen of Iraq etc. Why are the Tories not ripping him to shreds politically rather than trying to besmirch his character. Even labourites know he lies but they vote labour rather than Tory by tradition.regards,jet

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John_fraser

On Saturday I got a junk mail A4 sheet from the Labour Party. A smart move to send junk mail to someone who’s registered with the Mail Preference Society! That should really help secure my vote. I followed my standard practice when I receive junk and phoned the campaign hot line at the top to tell them to stop sending it. Unfortunately the hot line wasn’t manned so I couldn’t complain, but while on the phone, waiting to leave a message, I did read Ms Johnson’s letter. In it she promises a ”24 hour A&E for adults and children”. Why does this remind me of the story of the child who murders her parents and the asks the judge for clemency because she’s an orphan? Ms Johnson is a health minister in the government which stopped ”24 hour A&E for adults and children” and now she seeks electoral advantage in promising to give us back what she helped take away.

A couple of weeks ago on the regional news I heard Ms Johnson say that the service was only used by five children a week. Now I accept that in the clip she was speaking to a constituent and that there are risks in taking quotes when the full context is not known, but five children a week is 260 children a year. That is 780 children before the new hospital is started and probably two to three thousand before we get the facility back, if ever we do.

We have used the children’s A&E at QE2 several times. More than one occasion was serious and at least two were out of hours. Every time we used it we were grateful it was there. But then, my family live in Hatfield. Ms Johnson’s family don’t.

P.S WH is not the seventh marginal seat as stated in the letter. It is Labour’s 13th most marginal and it’s 8th most likely to go the Tories. Totally irrelevant to the point above, but the pedant in me just had to point it out.

We've also put our names down for the Mail Preference Society, but we still get political mail. This is probably because we are on the voters' register and the parties want to inform the voters of the choices facing them.

What was worse was getting email spam from the Tory leader Michael Howard last year. When I took this up with Conservative Central office they said they had got my email address from Welwyn Hatfield Conservatives and that I must have registered with Welwyn Hatfield Conservatives. I told them I had not. They then said I must have given them permission to share my email address with Conservative Central Office so that the Tory leader could mail me. I told them I had not.

It is still a mystery how Welwyn Hatfield Conservatives found the email address, which is otherwise spam free (apart from having been used, without my permission, by Michael Howard).

I have not had email spam from Labour or the Lib Dems.

« Last Edit: May 01, 2005, 10:50:08 pm by Editor »

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pib

This business of the parties being all the same is why I find it such a yawn. The truth is that even from where I am sitting I can see the governments arguments are full of holes and it could be ripped to shreds. When the Tories were in power, Labour was very aggressive and energetic in opposition. But the Tories in contrast rarely even whimper or they actually support the government in its efforts. Thats like Arsenal v Chelsea and helping them to score goals! The real truth is that the two parties are virtually the same, apart from cosmetic differences, just like a couple of Supermarket chains. What is important to realise is that your Government doesnt like you! It doesnt give a finger snap for your opinions (or mine ) but sees its people as an expendable national resource to be used either as an economic cash cow, or for dying in some muddy foreign field for reasons that no one will ever remember. Governments are purely in the business of extracting values from the masses and they usually stop short just at the point where people start to riot. To vote for any of the three main establishment parties is like voting for the same options. The names may change but the policies continue unabated. How much coverage do we get of the lesser parties? Virtually zero and it will remain that way because the real scam behind these elections is to make people think they are getting the chance to make real changes when the reality is its the same face behind a different mask. As I have said...I will be voting for Grant Shapps simply because he lives in the area. Apart from that I really dont have much time for any politician who is elected to Westminster as all they seek in reality is even more power over our lives. I have never met a politician who didnt want to accumulate even more power over other people. Most of these politicians at Westminster are people who tend be rather weak in their personal lives and try to compensate for it by seeking tighter controls over everybody else. If you want to really get back at the politicians just ignore them. That is what they really hate most when no one takes any notice of them! Roll on after May 5th

I agree with pib, however stand by to be labeled cynical for saying the truth.Some people complain when they hear nothing from the partys and then tend to moan when they receive "junk" mail from them.Whats really wrong with the country is the loss of national identity and the fear of being labeled rascist if one is patriotic.In an Irish theatre the other day the performance was preceeded by the national anthem (as is normal), everyone stood up and sung it in Gaelic.A country deeply involved in Europe, trading easily in Euros, yet still maintaining their own identity.I recal when the anthem is/was? played in England the majority could not get out fast enough rather than stand for 2 minutes.regards,jet

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John_fraser

Personally I think ignoring a politician is akin to ignoring an idiot with a gun. Or more like ignoring a self obsessed, publicity seeking amoral idiot with a gun. Love them or loathe them, these people have real power and are not frightened to use it. The vote may be of very limited effect, but some of today’s MPs would not be too unhappy to remove the vote from some sections of society.

If that sounds alarmist or dramatic remember that we now have legislation that means a British citizen can be put under house arrest even if the government believe they probably aren’t guilty. And when the government uses such powers, not only does the victim have no right to defend themselves, they don’t even have to know what they are supposed to be have done wrong.

The Labour party are extolling a “hold your nose” style of voting. I tend to agree. Hold your nose and vote for the least stomach churning choice – which is a tough choice. But use your vote.

According to today's newspaper 3,500 voters in Welwyn Hatfield, or 16% of the electorate, have voted by post. Of the 21 constituencies listed the highest % was 17.1. Don't know what this says about Welwyn Hatfield? No doubt statistical types will write a book about it sometime and put all sorts of meanings to it.

OMG I agree with JF yet again!Bob, I hesitate but suggest that some postal voters are unable to get to the pols because of infirmity and others have to work during that time or are perhaps doing something away from home.It shows perhaps that in WH more people bother to plan the importance of their vote rather than not be bothered.OR perhaps the are under house arrest for dissent to das fuerer....regards,jetWho will not look at the bad news until Saturday

Of course your choice of vote should not be influenced by what anagrams reveal of the parties or politicians appearing on the ballot but we couldn't resist the timing to give a round-up of a few good UK political anagrams!

What of the parties?

"The Conservative Party" has not been in power for a while but maybe this time around they will attract "Nervy, apathetic voters".

When one considers their previous funding for education, is it more than coincidence the letters of "the Conservative Party" also rearrange to say "Teacher in vast poverty"? And what about the health service? Could spending cuts after they have been let back in mean that they "reactivate NHS poverty"?

But is "the Labour Party" any different from the Conservatives? A simple rearrangement of the letters show that it is "a bluer tory path".

Labour's right-wing credentials also seems to be confirmed by many anagrams of its leadership. "Tony Blair" rearranges to say he is a "tory in Lab." and "Tony Blair MP" rearranges as "I'm tory plan B". Even "Prime Minister Tony Blair" rearranges to say "I'm Britain's tory peril, men" and ("Blimey! I'm irritant person." ) All very confusing.

But what of the "Liberal Democrats"? An anagram reveals it may have "creditable morals" but perhaps in reality it is just "a terrible old scam".

The minor parties don't escape either. "Scottish National Party" rearranges as "Oh, nasty tartan politics" and an anagram of "The UK Independence party" reveals that they "cry: 'end EU and keep the pint!'"

And what can be said about the future Prime Minister?

Anagrams are especially cruel to "The Right Honourable Michael Howard MP" one of which is "The globular, horrid chap. Women hate him." They are not much nicer if he were ever to become "Prime Minister Michael Howard" either. "I howl. I'm meanspirited charmer" come from those letters.

"Prime Minister Gordon Brown" is likely to succeed Tony Blair if Labour win another term. Unfortunately, anagrams reveal he would be the "Worst, boring premier. No mind."

The polls suggest that "Prime Minister Charles Kennedy" is unlikely to ever be. This may be a good thing according to his anagram which reveals such a leader could be a "semipermanently sick hinderer".

However, all choices of vote may be equally bad. Anagrams reveal that "the houses of parliament" are "loonies far up the Thames" and "the shameful operations"

Good news for WH and Grant, did MJ really want to win though.Overall its bad news for the country as a whole and demonstrates the complete lack of perception in the country.Another term of reduced rights for workers and freebies for shirkers.More lawlessnes, more stealth taxes, less human rights for common folk.Illegal wars and lies mean nothing to those on the new? labour gravy train.regards,jet

John_fraser

The really nice thing about the 2005 result is that W&H has now kicked out two MPs in three elections. Clearly the people of W&H won’t vote for a rosette and an MP had better do a good job if they want to be returned.

Currently there is very little about Grant Shapps for obvious reasons, but you can register to get a e-mail every time a your MP speaks. It also shows the complete voting record, attendance record, expenses record etc.